Prosecutor Agrees to Plea Deal to Reduce Suspensions After Cup Final Brawl

Gilad Bergman, the prosecutor for the Israeli Football Association, has agreed to a plea deal that will reduce the suspensions of players involved in the brawl during the State Cup final between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Be'er Sheva. The deal, which still requires approval from the Football Association's disciplinary court, was reached after negotiations with the teams' lawyers to avoid harsher penalties that would have been imposed without an agreement.

Under the proposed plea deal, the number of suspension games for each team will be lowered compared to the original indictment. Only one player from each team is expected to receive a suspension longer than four games. The players facing the most severe punishments are Samir Prahod, Christian Blitz, and Kerwin Andrade. Meanwhile, Tyrese Asante and Mohammad Kana'an will avoid actual suspensions. Maccabi Tel Aviv's team manager, Yoav Ziv, will also receive a reduced penalty.

Bergman requested an extension to finalize the plea deal, aiming to conclude the disciplinary process that began in May. He plans to submit the agreement to the disciplinary court for approval today, hoping to bring an end to the ongoing saga. The reduced penalties reflect a compromise to mitigate the consequences for those involved in the violent incident during the cup final match.